C6 C o r v e t t e

Hello everyone,

 

I am playing with a couple of different car combos to purchase this year. Unless something happens, the Murcie isn't going anywhere. However, I am looking at a new DD, and a toy of some sort. I have always liked Vettes, but hadn't thought about purchasing one. I know the C7 is a much better car in every possible way, but I want a C6 so I can mod it. Cheaper to buy a C6 and mod then going with a C7. Right now, I am looking at doing a white GrandSport or a black base car. With the white, I am thinking of doing purple (painted) stripes and a custom interior. If I go black, I am thinking gold stripes. I will list a few more mods I would do for grins: carbon fiber front splitter, carbon fiber ZR1 extension wing, carbon fiber extended ZR1 side skirts, carbon fiber targa top, carbon fiber rear diffuser, CAI, Billy Boat longtube headers, straight pipes after the headers, HRE rims, custom tune by Forza Tuning & Performance, etc. I am looking for your thoughts on the C6, my "mod list", etc.

 

Cheers,

 

RobberBaron

 

Link to white GrandSport: http://2354.ecarlist.com/web/ebay_photos/24953487/

stripes as in down the whole front to back?

Stripes like this:

Would it be your "toy" or DD?

 

What do you want to get out of the ownership experience? How will you use it?

I wouldn't put stripes on it, but to each his own.

 

If it were my DD, I would also buy an auto, but traffic in miami is unbearable.

 

It already has a corsa on it. I would wait to buy headers until you hear it in person. My Z is headers, catless x pipe, and corsas and it's borderline too much. On deceleration it pops and gargles and crackles a bunch. I'm ok with it, but for some it may bother them.

 

Navigation on the car sucks, so you might as well address that right away.

 

You won't have stock tires so won't need to address that

 

The Doug Rippie Motorsports (DRM) Valved Bilstein shocks made a big difference in handling and Going over bumps in my car.

 

MGW shifter is a must if you buy a stick car

 

I would add a A&A blower-lower it on HRE's, DRM bilsteins, MGW shifter, better nav and call it a day

 

 

If you do end up doing headers add a tunnel plate while you are there to reduce heat into cabin.

 

Feel free to PM me if you have any questions specifically

I'm about to throw my built c6z up for sale. Has all the mods your looking at doing and more. It's black tho

Thank you all for the detailed responses!

 

Cake, it would be a toy and short distance DD. I am thinking of doing a 09 Maserati GranTurismo with the Ferrari F1 tranny in it for the DD.

 

I am a hardcore 3-pedal guy, so it would be stick. Traffic where I am at sucks, but it shouldn't be in traffic too much.

 

Pockmark, thank you for the detailed response! Your info really helps. If I decide on the POS I will bounce some questions/ideas off of you. I don't mind crazy loud. My Mustang is really loud and the Murcie is straight piped. I am guessing this wouldn't louder then the V12. I am a hardcore 3-pedal guy, so it would be stick. Traffic where I am at sucks, but it shouldn't be in traffic too much.

 

Keevo54, I am still deciding on what makes the most sense for me, but if you have some time to kill shoot me a PM and I will take a look at it.

I had an 09 ZeeOoo6 which was primarily my track car. The OEM seats are awful so I put in Caravaggio race seats. Caravaggio makes some very nice seats that fit on OEM rails.

 

The C6 is a great performance value. Mine was mostly stock which was my preference. I changed rotors and pads and put in DOT4 fluid.

 

Fit finish and paint wasn't great. Handling is a bit sloppy with play in steering (unlike Porsche which is tight and precise). The ZeeOOO6 was a fun car to drive. Rear end could break out and it was fairly well balanced so easy and intuitive to reign in. Since yours is for street you likely won't experience too much at the limit (or close to the limit). I ran Michelin pilot super sports which I love. OEM goodyears were awful.

 

I would not stripe it either but it's personal. Do what you love.

I had an 09 ZeeOoo6 which was primarily my track car. The OEM seats are awful so I put in Caravaggio race seats. Caravaggio makes some very nice seats that fit on OEM rails.

 

The C6 is a great performance value. Mine was mostly stock which was my preference. I changed rotors and pads and put in DOT4 fluid.

 

Fit finish and paint wasn't great. Handling is a bit sloppy with play in steering (unlike Porsche which is tight and precise). The ZeeOOO6 was a fun car to drive. Rear end could break out and it was fairly well balanced so easy and intuitive to reign in. Since yours is for street you likely won't experience too much at the limit (or close to the limit). I ran Michelin pilot super sports which I love. OEM goodyears were awful.

 

I would not stripe it either but it's personal. Do what you love.

 

Ya, I am a stripe guy. My 07 Stang has stripes painted on to it. My Stang (according to Ford) is the only one in the world with my color of stripe. With the C-POS I am going for something to separate it from the rest. Living in Kentucky, I see Vettes all day and I would like mine to stand out. I took a look at the Caravaggio seats you recommended. I LOVE those. That will be a "must do" mod for the car. I might track it every once and awhile. It is one of those cars where tracking it doesn't kill the value. Thank you for the advice! I will take any and all I can get.

I took a look at the Caravaggio seats you recommended. I LOVE those. That will be a "must do" mod for the car. I might track it every once and awhile. It is one of those cars where tracking it doesn't kill the value. Thank you for the advice! I will take any and all I can get.

I bought my seats on the v3tt3 forum and they were very lightly used. I sold them for a little more than I paid. They are difficult to find (used) and when listed they usually go quick if they're in decent shape. My car was Victory Red with Black/Red interior and my seats were black leather with red embroidery (zee0066 logo and stitching). The embroidery faded and honestly could have gone into just about any color interior - and I didn't really care because it was for track.

 

Not sure what height/size you are but do some research on the seats. I'm 5'4" and they were fine where harness passes through for shoulder height. They were snug seats and anyone of "larger" stature may not find them comfortable. If you ever have the chance to sit in someone else's (maybe you'd see them at a car show or the track) - it's a good idea. I can't recall if they post dimensions online but I'm sure you could find out if there's any question. I found them MUCH more comfy than OEM which is squishy and offers little support.

 

If you opt for Caravaggio I believe it may take awhile so be prepared. He stays very busy. For some of the more deluxe seats you can opt to send your OEM seat to him and he swaps it for one of his higher end seats He uses the OEM seat as a base. As you probably saw on line he offers some beautiful "high end" interiors and you can go pretty crazy with stitching and leather everywhere. I kept my OEM seats and put them back in before I sold the car.

 

The OEM interior is very cheap and plastic and Caravaggio really takes it to a new level. The seats fit on OEM rails so my driver side race seat still adjusted electronically which was great for snugging the harnesses that last little bit. My passenger seat was manual adjust - but using OEM rails avoids a bunch of hassle.

 

If you plan to put harness bar or cage in - know that the floor is balsa core sandwich and should not be drilled for attachment points unless you use a backing plate on top and bottom. I overcame this issue by using Team Tech harnesses. You can look them up - great solution. Very comfy. Meets all required safety if you were to race but for a few track days it'll exceed whatever the club would require. They attach to the seat rail and existing attachment points in the car.

 

Don't bother tracking with OEM fluid and pads. I've been in the right seat of many v3tt3s that don't last beyond the second session because brakes go soft. Of course depends on many factors (driver, track, age/condition of existing equipment) but if you want to be sure to drive the entire day I suggest making those changes. You probably know: no refunds for equipment failures at a track day.

 

You'll find decent instructions online for buying a switch that allows you to keep the "seat occupied" option alive so if in a collision the airbags in the dash deploy correctly. We moved the passenger seat bladder sensor over to keep the car safe on the street. It made the passenger seat a bit less comfy but it was fine for our use and for liability we wanted the airbags working correctly for street driving. The race seats do not have built in airbags so you'll give that up.

 

After a quick search I found a really nice DIY thread with great photos, and it's a C6. Search "DIY Caravaggio race seat install". This forum will automatically change the link because it contains the c0rv3tt3 word. It'll be the first result (in Google) and it's thread #2344588 on that particular forum. Even if you don't DIY this might help your tech. If you buy used you may not get the Caravaggio airbag light connector (we didn't). We have a Chevy dealer friend who fixed the airbag dash light for us - but you can buy the connectors after market. Not all dealers will do that (liability) but ours is a personal friend and did it as a favor.

 

I also put in Ultimate Pedals. Very high quality aluminum pedals in a variety of textures. We just screw attached them over the OEM rubber pedals. They look great but more importantly improved grip and pedal feel. i went with an extended throttle for heel/toe (I have narrow feet and couldn't span the gap without help). Just be REALLY specific with dimensions and exactly what you are looking for. I've put them in other cars and used them on a friend's recommendation who also has them in multiple cars. I'd do it again - very happy with results. No affiliation - just a satisfied customer (same with Caravaggio).

 

http://www.ultimatepedals.com/catalog/prod...roducts_id=3599

Good luck and enjoy the hunt!

 

 

 

If I did a c6 it would only be a Z; the upgrade in both performance and looks is 100% worth it. I used to dd mine back in the day and it was a blast man, the power and sound - ooo wee!

 

If stripes are your thing I'd do vinyl or you'll kill any thought of resale value.

 

Will you be looking to track the car as well, then you have to go for naturally aspirated. I had too many problems with my highly tuned ZR1 C6 (with 820hp/1150nm), due to overheating (race radiators, etc... still not enough cooling for summer 40deg Celsius track days).

 

There is only one to get since you are in the USA and have the big choice: get a C6 Plastic mess-06 with the Z07 Performance Package (Ceramics, ZR1 magnetic ride suspension, ZR1 front&side splitters). Change the seats, and you have an epic epic car. Get it to one of the big tuners, and get it running 600-620hp with exhaust, header, cam shaft, etc. http://www.lingenfelter.com/engine-package...-cid-ls7-660-hp

 

Stripes.... all a matter of personal taste... I personally think it is the ugliest thing you can do to a Corvette. IF you want to put on stickers, then why not match the yellow racing car Corvettes?

If going with a POS I would only go with the Z 0 6 . The first time you pull up to a light next to a Z if you buy the regular model you will be kicking yourself.

 

I had an 08 and had a blast with the car. big problem with the Z's though is the exhaust valves I believe. Lots of engines have blown due to this and is one of the main reasons I sold mine. I just didn't feel comfortable digging into the engine to fix this issue. Also upgrading to the Michelin super sports made a night and day difference.

 

I also had the Caravaggio Race seats in mine and I was not a fan. they had way to much flex in them for me to feel comfortable, sold them shortly after. I{ would go with a proven seat like a recaro or something if upgrading.

 

 

Good luck

If going with a POS I would only go with the Z 0 6 . The first time you pull up to a light next to a Z if you buy the regular model you will be kicking yourself.

 

I had an 08 and had a blast with the car. big problem with the Z's though is the exhaust valves I believe. Lots of engines have blown due to this and is one of the main reasons I sold mine. I just didn't feel comfortable digging into the engine to fix this issue. Also upgrading to the Michelin super sports made a night and day difference.

 

I also had the Caravaggio Race seats in mine and I was not a fan. they had way to much flex in them for me to feel comfortable, sold them shortly after. I{ would go with a proven seat like a recaro or something if upgrading.

 

 

Good luck

 

these seats below give me a MASSIVE boner, and i will have them one day for mine.

 

I haven't addressed the heads yet, but thats the next step. With heads done + cam + MSD Intake Mani + NW Throttle body, I will pick up another 100rwhp (600rwhp). More if I switch to E85.

 

My car is probably around 500rwhp now and has all of the fixes done with the exception of the heads so far (So far: MGW full shifter, MGW Race knob, Michelin Pilot Supersports, DRM Bilstein Shocks, Air Raid Intake, American Racing 1 7/8'" Headers, Catless X pipe, Corsa Cat back, fixed the radiator fan fuse issue, new OEM brakes, new billet high output alternator, new spark plugs, new MSD Spark plug wires, new T Stat, Tune). Car is very fast and rock solid right now.

^ those seats are beautiful , ive seen them up close. But to me they dont fit in with the rest of the Z interior which is lacking in quality.

 

If i had if as a second or 3rd car id do it again for sure!

^ those seats are beautiful , ive seen them up close. But to me they dont fit in with the rest of the Z interior which is lacking in quality.

 

If i had if as a second or 3rd car id do it again for sure!

 

Agreed. I think you have to do the seats and the steering wheel + aftermarket Nav (so you add features like bluetooth/backup camera/ipod connection/Nav that actually works). The 08+ cars had a little nicer interior, but also had a little more weight added to the car (part was due to the revised transmission too).

 

It is my second car, but honestly, I would sell it if it was my DD. I would rather drive my automatic 4 cylinder accord ANY DAY OF THE WEEK in the traffic of Miami.

Would like to know more insights on the Valved Bilstein shocks. Did it really make a big difference in handling?